Notes and Editorial Reviews

Here is another occasion to admire the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. These two wind serenades are big pieces played stylishly and with much refinement and variety.

I have already admired the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra more than once in these columns, and here is another occasion to do so. These two wind serenades are big pieces, the E flat major being in five movements and the C minor in four, and they are played so stylishly and with so much refinement and variety that one never becomes satiated with wind tone, as can happen with more ordinary performances, and for once feels that pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons actually blend satisfactorily together (the E flat major Serenade is played here in its secondRead more version including two oboes to make an octet). For an example of the delicacy and expressive character of the playing, listen to the Adagio of this work or the Minuet that follows it, and the finale of this same work also really dances at a brisk but convincing tempo.

Of course one wonders at the composer's choice of a minor key for the C minor Serenade, K388, a work described in Anthony Burton's booklet note as ''dramatic and sombre'' which is thus hardly conventional serenade material, but the writer provides no explanation since there is none that fits the facts. But whatever the mystery of its nature, this is a splendid piece, with a tense first movement and a mirror canon (using inversion) for oboes and bassoons in its Minuet in canone that has been described as suggesting ''the image of two swans reflected in still water''. The finale is a terse set of variations, and indeed it is only the Andante (in E flat major) of this Serenade that offers real warmth. Since the recording in a New York location is as successful as the playing, this is a disc to recommend without reserve.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 1 Customer Review )

Grossly Overlooked Delicasies.September 2, 2012By Richard Buckley (Oakmont, PA)See All My Reviews"This disc, holding two of Mozart's wind serenades, is, as the title of this review suggests, a delightful offering of the composer's less heard masterpieces. The Serenade in E Flat Major is light and lilting and quite pleasant. The Serenade in C Minor is a little more serious and very unusual for a Mozart serenade in that it is made up of only four movements, much like a symphony. These pieces were written by Mozart in Vienna when he was attempting unsuccessfully to obtain a court appointment by the emperor. Obviously, the emperor had little appreciation of fine music. I purchased this disc mainly for the Serenade in E Flat Major to which I have always been partial, but I have long since learned to appreciate the C Minor immensely. The two pieces are interpreted perfectly by The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. This disc is a winner in every way."Report Abuse